Kuwait will increase its energy capacity by 14.05 gigawatts by 2031, Minister of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy Subaikh Al-Muhaizim announced, quoted by “Reuters“, reports News.bg.
As one of the major oil producers, the country is facing electricity shortages caused by rapid population growth, urbanization, high temperatures and delays in maintenance of some of the power plants. This forced the government to introduce planned power cuts in some areas last year.
Minister Al-Muhaizim said in X that Kuwait had successfully weathered the summer of 2025, when temperatures reached 51 degrees Celsius. He noted that peak summer electricity consumption had fallen by 0.17% year-on-year, despite forecasts of a 4% increase.
Among the major projects are:
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Al-Zour North (Phase 2 and 3) – a 2.7 GW power plant, contracted in August by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power and Gulf Investment Corporation, for over 1 billion Kuwaiti dinars ($3.27 billion), financed by local and international banks.
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The „Shagaya“ project (phases 1 and 2) – renewable energy with a total capacity of 1.6 GW, implemented through a public-private partnership. The third and fourth phases will add another 3 GW in cooperation with China.
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The Khayran Power Plant (phase 1) – will provide 1.8 GW, also under a public-private partnership scheme.
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The „Nuwaiseeb“ project – with a total capacity of 7.2 GW, part of which will be completed after 2031 and will continue into the next decade.
Ministry spokeswoman Fatma Abbas Hayat confirmed that these projects are key to Kuwait's future energy security.